Creating Graphsrev 10/6/2015

  • Objectives:
  • Enter data into an Illustrator chart
  • Switch chart-types
  • Add 3D effect to a chart
  • Add a drop shadow to a chart

Open Illustrator and choose New document, Landscape named 3D Chart, landscape, 7” by 5”

  • Find and select the Column Graph Tool:
  • Click and hold to see the available graph types:

We’ll use column graph. The finished graph will look something like this:

  • Select the Columngraph Tool.
  • Will show values (revenue, in our example) over time
  • Click and drag to create an area the graph will occupy: Make it fairly large, start near left edge, maybe 7” by 5” (The size of the document also)
  • Release the mouse and a default graph is drawn: A datasheet and the graph (ugly default!, one big column)

Add data here

  • Enter the data to be graphed:

Click the checkmark to produce the chart:

The final graph will have a column for each year, and each year will have 2 bars: Product A and Product B:

In 3D:

Note: Do not omit a column of data:

Note the quote marks around the years…that makes the values be interpreted as text rather than numbers

  • Click the checkmark to create the graph:

To reveal:

The legend is on the right. It may be off the artboard…see if you can figure out how to scale and position the legend.

  • Make the legend be visible; mine is

If it still isn’t visible, remember you’re in Illustrator…use the Type tool, Scale,…

I scaled mine 90%

  • Close the data panel (spreadsheet)

Let’s modify the graph

  • Click Selection tool

You can now move the graph if you want to

Add color

  • Click and hold the Direct Select tool(white arrow) and choose Group Selection tool:
  • Click once in white area to deselect everything
  • Click first black bar with white arrow:
  • Click once again and all the black bars are selected:
  • Click a third time to include the legend

Now we have everything colored blackis now selected, let’s change the color

Note: Try the color Guide…a mini-Color Adobe palette.

  • Pick a high contrast color group:
  • Choose a group of 6
  • Now, look at the top and choose your replacement color from the six:

And:

Made Fill bea high contrast color

Specify no stroke ( Good policy…strokes and 3D don’t seem to like each other)

Select the remaining gray bars using the same technique, choose another high contrast color.

The 3D effect

  • Click Preview
  • Select the first bar and choose (Effect3D>Extrude and bevel)
  • Click 3 times to select all the blue columns
  • Remove the stroke…did it already
  • Do the extrude
  • On your own, extrude the other (blue for me) columns

Now, let’s add text at the top

  • Select the type tool
  • Click upper left to specify point text
  • Type: Revenue Case Study for Darby Incorporated 2008 to 2015
  • Select the text and change font to Myriad, 20 pt

Use Fill color and make text be red

Make it bold, and center it

Save as chart2

  • Click on graph with selection tool
  • Select Effect>Stylize> Drop Shadow
  • Reduce opacity to 50%
  • Click Preview

To change opacity after the fact:

  • Find Appearance panel
  • Select opacity

Graph is live; can change properties

Let’s modify the data

  • Click the graph (Select it)
  • Right-mouse and choose data

Spreadsheet opens, and we could change the data now

Can also switch types…right – click again

  • Save as pdf
  • Save for Web, turn off transparency, leaving the background white:
  • Save as ChartFinal.ai inside InClass>Illustrator
  • Save as pdf as ChartFinal.pdf

END

Well, could add index link

Column Graphs Page 1